Don't Let Me Go
by Serene Cullen
Summary: Logan is out wandering the world and hasn't seen Marie in two years. When he finds her he can't believe where she is and what she's doing with her new training.
1. Dancer

Glitz and glamor donned the walls of the high end strip joint. The lights flashed all around and lit the place up as music blared from the speakers. The bar was packed and man crowded around the stage where the main performer of the joint was about to begin her show.

Among the men at the bar sat one Logan Wolverine. He knocked his head back and downed the last few drops left in the beer. As the drops chased one another down his throat he turned towards the stage deciding to let the entertainment entertain him. He wasn't usually one for the shows at the joints he got his beers from but tonight was different it was special. It was Marie's birthday and he was missing it. He needed to forget.

"Happy Birthday!" several girls chorused a few minutes before their curtain call was on. The girl at the center smiled her appreciation and blew out the flickering candles. She didn't even get to cut a slice from the simple cake before Brett kicked the door open and ordered them all on stage.

As they all let their robes fall and reveal their 'funner' outfits they traveled towards the stage. The birthday girl was the last girl to go on since she was the main performer. Take it off by Ke$ha began and she waited she waited as the odd technology enhanced voice sang, she waited as the music played, and finally she stepped out as Ke$ha began the true lyrics. Guys hollered and cheered as she entered center stage. Her outfit was showy as always but just enough for them to throw in the hundred to go to the back.

Logan stared as he watched the girl who he would say was no more than 18. The dancer looked so familiar he'd bet an ice cold beer he'd met her somewhere before, and you don't bet _ice cold_ beers. She wore little to nothing and the outfit gave him…issues. The other girls were good and they were sure to be worth the fifty or so the owner named their price at. However he could see why she cost a steep price.

The song ended and the girls bowed. The ones on the outside stepped onto the normal floor and were taken off by a few men. They slipped the payment into a carrier and then curtains were drawn and floorboards began to squeak. Logan checked his wallet to see how much cash he had on him. As he was scanning through, a picture of his Marie fell from its place. He picked it up to put it away and as he did he suddenly knew who the girl was. He looked to the stage and saw she had her hair curled from its normally straight state. Her chest looked um bigger, but that dancing no that couldn't be his little Marie.

**AN: I hope you like chapter one I'd love some reviews. **


	2. To The Back

To The Back

How could it be that Marie was the main attraction stripper that stood before him? She had changed so much in only two months. How could Logan have let this happen! He clenched his teeth as he took the hundred from his wallet and grabbed her hand from the stage. She let out one of her adorable squeals and plopped from the stage. He caught her and carried her to the back.

"My room's that way," she pointed, he grunted and followed her pointed direction. He did revel in the fact that she seemed not to have recognized him just yet though. She would probably be shocked out of her delicate skin when she got a good look at his face.

"Payment is required sir!" a man yelled at him. He took the hundred clenched between his fingers and shoved it into the man's greedy hands. He backed away then and let the complete stranger take his prized possession away.

"Here it is," Marie said and Logan set her down. "My room is the nicest and I promise the sheets are changed after every visitor." Marie walked over to her vanity and removed several embellishments. She took off her earrings and necklace. She let her hair down and took off her heels. "Shall w-" her southern voice stopped as she turned to see the man who had paid for her.

"What the hell are you doing here Marie?" he asked. "Why are you in a place like this?"

"Logan," Marie stared at him. "It's been forever," she smiled and hugged him.

"Kid!" even though he was upset with her he returned her embrace and held her close. "What in hells name are you doing working here?"

"Well I needed a job after I graduated and I decided here was as good a place as any. Since I gained control of my powers this place was easy to work at. Before I thought I'd never be able even have a hug from someone, a kiss. But here I get to feel the full force that was lifted from my shoulders." Marie smiled and twirled in her spot. "Oh," she suddenly seemed to remember something. "That's right you paid a great deal for me so we should get to making your money worth it," Marie began taking the strap of her bra from her shoulder.

"Ah!" Logan panicked and grabbed her hand keeping her strap on her shoulder. "Marie that isn't why I paid for you! I didn't want your body, I want to talk with you. I want to get to know you again. I've missed you kid. You don't belong in a place like this," he said turning to face her.

"Logan there's nothing wrong with this place," she shot back.

"Yes there is Marie, they force you to sell yourself for sex."

"They don't force me to do anything I choose to work here!"

"Well choose to work somewhere else!" he yelled back.

"I don't want to!" she said gathering a robe from her chair.

"Well I'm taking you out of here tonight whether you like it or not!"

"I will not leave I need a way to eat and afford my apartment."

"Then come with me Marie," he put his hands on her shoulders. "I have a place you can stay I make money from fights for food. Come with me Marie and you'll never have to sell yourself again."

"I-I like being independent," she defended weakly.

"Look at yourself Marie!" he yelled. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look into the mirror. He wrenched the robe from her shoulders and forced her to look at the showy pieces of cloth covering her body. He shook her and forced her closer. "Didn't you hear what you told me Marie?" he yelled "the first thing you said was you changed the sheets after every visitor! Why the hell are you ok with saying that. Do you know what that means Marie! You sell yourself every night, every hour to any sleazy man who comes in and pays. That man never asked me if I had STDs he didn't check for a weapon. He doesn't care about you Marie! Do you even know if you have an STD?"

"STOP IT!" she screeched holding her head and sobbing. She cried and cried and cried. She fell to the floor and wept her teenage heart out. She turned into Logan when he followed her to the floor. She rested her head on his chest and he held her tightly in his arms.

**AN: I admit it's a sadder chapter but I hope you like it. Next update will come soon. Please review!**


	3. Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me

Logan held onto Marie until her sobs came to a stop. "Come with me Marie," he asked again.

She sniffed before drying her tears "I'll do it," she said nodding. She rushed around her room. She opened her drawers and shoved her hands underneath them. From each drawer came several twenties or even a hundred from one. She finally reached behind the large mirror of her vanity and pulled out a few more hundreds. "Let's go before something," a shot was heard and screams erupted. "Stay here," she instructed and shoved the money in his hand "and don't dare let anyone see that."

She grabbed her old robe from its stand and quickly removed her make-up. She quietly slid out into the commotion soon and felt around for what was wrong. Her powers grasped at the air feeling for a mutant or someone unfamiliar. She scanned the crowd and marked several of the unfamiliars as having been in the back.

"What's happened?" she asked appearing beside the bar tender that had been shot.

"What are you doing here child?" a police officer asked. Marie blinked a few times before quickly hiding her face. He was someone who came in all the time to see her. She tried to cover her accent a bit as she spoke to him.

"I was visiting," she lied, "my cousin works here." He nodded and turned back to the dead woman in front of her. "She was a good friend of mine," Marie commented.

"I'm sorry she died then," the officer said.

Marie paused for a moment as she rested her hand on her neck. "She isn't dead," Marie said simply as she sent some of Logan's healing energy into Lucy's body. Her breathing stayed shallow and she was still very close to death but she was alive. "I think I saw her ex leave the building, you may wanna question him."

After that Marie stood and went back to her room while everyone else rushed around and panicked. Marie entered her room and closed the door quietly. "We need to leave quickly if we're gonna leave," she looked at Logan who sat in the corner.

"What happened out there?" he asked as he watched her scatter around her room.

"Lucy our bartender was shot and killed, but I healed her, just a bit."

"You, you can do that now kid?"

"There's a lot I can do," Marie said standing with her hands full of a few items. "Now let's go before Bret finds out I've been stealing from him."

Logan took her hand and led her outside, they went to his truck and he followed her directions to her apartment. "Nice place you got here kid," Logan said following her in.

"Ya it is too bad I'll have to leave it behind," she grumbled packing one suitcase of clothes. "Here," she said raiding her pantries and handing him the food in it. "These will last for a while so it'll be a good idea to put them in the trailer." He nodded and went outside to do as she suggested. While he was out Rogue went into her dresser and fished out a locket she wanted to bring along. Inside was a picture of Logan and herself, but she couldn't let him see it or he'd just laugh.

Marie packed a small bag full of toiletries and then left her apartment for good.

#

"So tell me Marie?" Logan said as they passed the town's exit. "Why aren't you with Scooter and all those goodie two shoes X-men?"

"Well I, I ran away from Xavier's. Scott and Professor X had both asked me to become a part of the team but," Marie looked down.

"What is it darlin'?"

"MY MA DIED!" she wailed and broke down into tears.

"Oh I'm sorry kido," he pulled Marie into a sideways hug in the car.

"I, I flew down to see her but she was already gone!"

"It'll be ok kid," he kissed her forehead. "So why then didn't you go back after?"

"I, I don't know. I well to be honest I was lost," she sniffed. "I had no idea which way it was I was stupid and forgot even where it was. I just tried to survive!" Marie sobbed into her hands and leaned against Logan.

#

**AN: Just a little bit of angst in this chapter but hopefully after this there will be more smiles and less tears. Please review I'm dying for feedback on this story please!**


	4. Cage Fighting

Cage Fighting

Logan and Marie were running short on funds after traveling halfway across the state. They had picked up gas, food, and a deck of cards and they didn't have much left after those. "Hey look," Marie pointed to a strip joint.

"I can't waste money in there," Logan said giving Marie an odd look.

"I don't want you to," Marie said "let's see if they'll let me work one night and get some cash," she said trying to get Logan to pull over.

"No Marie, I took you away from that place so you didn't have to sell yourself any more. We'll stop in and see if there's a cage fighting ring anywhere."

"What so I can't go through something pleasurable for money but you can get the shit beat outta ya?" Marie snapped.

"Marie don't talk like that," Logan bellowed.

"Like what Logan? Sex is pleasureable it. Feels. Good. It's why people do it."

"Marie," Logan slammed on the breaks and threw the truck into park "you aren't selling yourself! Do you really like it?" he yelled.

Marie looked down "no of course not. I just hate watching you get hurt," she whispered.

Logan sighed with relief and gathered his little girl into his arms. "Good I was really worried for a minute."

"Why?" she asked looking up at him.

"Because it isn't ok for you to like sex, especially not with random strangers. You're too young," he kissed the top of her head.

She smiled up at him "promise you'll be careful?"

"Careful is my middle name," Logan chuckled and helped her out of the car. Marie looked at him oddly and he pointed up to where they were. "Found one," he said.

"Oh," Marie followed him into the bar that also housed a cage fighting ring. Marie gasped as one of the men stumbled out of the cage bloody and breathing heavily. "Be careful," she cautioned again as he stepped into the cage. She immediately went over to the betting area and placed all of the cash they had left on him, all two hundred dollars.

"Someone's confident," the woman said.

"He's my boyfriend so I should be," Marie smiled the lie slipping from her lips easily. She took a seat and clutched the locket she wore. She sat beside a woman who seemed to be eagerly rooting for the other man. Marie thought about moving but just as she was about to the woman beside her yelled as Logan was nailed in the face.

The cage suddenly had all of Marie's attention and she watched as Logan beat the man until he forfeited. Marie jumped up happily clapping and the woman beside her suddenly stood and punched her in the face. Marie yelped as she fell backwards and off the slightly elevated seating area.

"Hey don't touch my girl," Logan stood towering above the woman who was laughing at Marie.

"So-sorry," the woman said escaping in a hope to not look like her husband. Some of the other men who were around helped get Marie up and another woman took a wet cloth to a cut on her forehead. Logan went and sat beside the two woman watching intensely as his Marie was being treated.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her.

"I'm ok," she assured taking Logan's hand in hers. "You can go fight again if you'd like I think they're waiting on you anyways."

Logan nodded kissed her forehead and went back to the cage. The bet lady came to Marie and gave her, her four hundred dollars. Marie put one hundred back on him, trying to seem normal and not overly confident.

Logan won seven more fights took home the thousand dollar grand prize and Marie had made a profit of one thousand four hundred. Logan had taken her hand and they hurried out of the town that night to avoid any confrontations.

When they arrived in the next town Marie was asleep in the truck and Logan lifted her into his arms. He smiled as he walked into a Holiday Inn and got the cheapest room. He set her on the bed and made himself comfortable on the floor.

#

**AN: I hope you like this new chapter! Please review, they make me smile ^.^ and update.**


	5. Reunion

Reunion

Marie woke from her early night slumber and found herself in new surroundings. She was on a kind of soft bed and she sat up and saw Logan on the floor. "Logan?" she asked nudging him with her foot so her arm didn't suffer. He shot up and as Marie expected his claws were extended. "Hi," Marie smiled softly at him.

He looked over at her "hey kid," he smiled up at her. Her heart fluttered and why did it do that? Marie gulped but smiled and rose from her bed.

"I'll be right out," she said grabbing her pack and going to change.

"So you got your pesky mutation under control did ya?" he asked while she was still behind the bathroom door.

"Yup full control it's like a little switch in my head now."

"Oh so you can still use it?" he was amused.

"Yup just a little switch in my head."

"So do you want me to take you back to the mansion?" he asked.

"Would you stay with me?"

"I suppose I could," he conceded.

"Alright then let's start our way to there," she said excitedly emerging from the bathroom.

"Your wish is my command," Logan conceded and they exited the motel.

#

"Here we are kid," Logan whispered at about eleven PM that night.

She yawned and stretched "it's been forever since I've been here," Marie said smiling lightly.

"Ya me too," Logan said parking his truck and then helping Marie out.

The two walked into the mansion and looked around both feeling nostalgic. Marie took Logan's hand in her own and fought back fond tears. She leaned against him and smiled taking in the view.

"Oh my God Marie!" the was Storm's voice. Storm nearly flew down the stairs and captured the girl into her arms. "I can't believe you finally came home," she kept her tightly in her arms and cried tears of joy.

"Storm I'm so sorry. I wanted to come back honestly I did I was just lost and I couldn't remember anything. Then Logan found me three days ago and he got me back here."

"Bless you Logan," Storm said hugging Logan as well.

"What on earth is going on down- Rogue!" Scott appeared with Jean, Hank, and Bobby at the top of the stairs. He too was down the stairs quickly and hugged the Southern girl.

"When did you get so close to Marie?" Logan huffed at Scott.

"I mentored her before she disappeared," Scott said standing protectively over Marie. Marie was determined to defuse the situation and not allow her first day back to be ruined. She flung herself into Scott's arms once again and his attention was off fighting with Logan and on her return.

"You'll still mentor me won't you?" she asked.

"Ya of course," Scott said and hugged her tightly. "You've gotten skinnier," he poked her ribs.

"Sorry it came with the barely eating thing and the um exercise," she quickly covered. She did not want her past coming back to her, not here.

"Well we'll work on getting you fattened up," Storm said patting Rogue's stomach.

"Hey cutie," Bobby said holding his arms open for her. She smiled and hugged him, he was more toned and his chest was puffing out but that was just him being a boy.

"I missed you Bobby," she smiled.

"Ya I know I'm very missable," he wagged his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey," Jean said softly.

"Hello," Rogue smiled and grabbed the older woman into a hug. She knew Jean was too shy to approach her first.

"Beast!" Rogue said. She was one of few kids whom he allowed to call him by his old name. She was fun and playful about it and well it kinda built his ego up.

"Marie," he said fondly and lifted the girl from the ground in a big bear hug. "You can't go disappearing anymore hun," Rogue nodded in agreement.

"So how was your dad sweetheart?" Storm asked leading the group into the living room.

"Oh he was a mess," Rogue said sadly. "He was really torn up about mom. I mean I totally get it they were married twenty years or so but. He was just dreadful," Marie shook her head.

"I'm sorry honey," Storm hugged her.

"I see that we did indeed have some visitors," the professor said joining the group.

"Hi," Marie said rising from her spot and hugging the older man. "I've missed you," she said.

"I missed you too my dear. It's good to see you've found your way back."

"Well I actually have Logan to thank for that," Marie smiled fondly at him.

"Thank you Logan," the whole room pretty much chorused and Logan looked at them all freaked out.

"Yes thank you," Marie said hugging him from the recliner he had claimed.

"Ya, ya no big deal," he rolled his eyes.

"Let's get you two off to bed," Charles said.

"Yup bright and early," Scott said "we'll go in at eight ok?"

Marie nodded and yawned realizing suddenly that she was once again very sleepy. She and Logan walked up the stairs and went their separate ways to rooms. Rogue returned to Logan's room only two minutes later and knocked softly.

Logan grumbled but got up from his bed and opened the door. "What's up kid?" he asked softly.

"My old room now holds three new roommates and I'm really sleepy and-"

"Come on in kid," Logan smiled and Marie returned the smile and entered the room. Logan climbed into the bed first, Rogue set her pack on the floor and just stripped her jeans. She then climbed into the bed as well. Marie was slightly startled when Logan wrapped his arm around her middle but she curled back into him and closed her eyes drifting away to peaceful sleep while being held in Logan's arms.


End file.
